Reporter:

ANNECKA SANTOS
SHIELA HERNALE
HANA FERDIE
Far East Asia
The countries in this region are:

 China
 Japan
 Hong Kong
 Mongolia
 North Korea
 South Korea
 Taiwan
CHINA
 From the oldest resident in China and the oldest dynasty, Xia
dynasty, there have been millions of prominent people who made
great contributions to the unity and development of Chinese
civilization.

They include emperors like Qin Shihuang(Qin dynasty emperor),

Hanwudi (Emperor of Han dynasty) and Li Shimin (emperor of Tang
dynasty), and Kangxi Emperor in Qing dynasty. There were also
famous scholars like Confucius (Great educator in Spring and
Autumn Period), and scientists like Zhu Chongzhi and Zhangheng.

Besides them, there were also thousands of heroes in China history

who were remembered by modern Chinese. They are like a shining
stars that living in all the heart of Chinese. It is their great
contributions that made China today attractive and lovely.
 IMPORTANT
EVENTS LISTED
IN CHINA’S
HISTORY
BRONZE OF SHANG DYNASTY
( 1027 BC – 1700 BC )
 Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties has been called
bronze dynasty in China's history. The production
technique of Shang was the most advanced in the
same age among other parts of the world. The bronze
of Shang was not only an instrument of drinking or
keeping, it was also a kind of culture, which can reflect
many aspects of the age.
 
There were mainly agriculture, hunting and animal
husbandry as the economic forms in Shang dynasty. A
number of ceremonial bronze vessels with inscriptions
date from the Shang period; the workmanship on the
bronzes attests to a high level of civilization.
 The product of bronze was mainly used by
the noble families and the emperors and loyal
members. They seemed the bronze as a sign
that have higher social position. It was said
that an 830 kilograms of bronze pot was made
by two to three hundred workers.
 
The bronze of Shang was not only good
design, but also owned great art value and
literature meaning. It is a valuable instrument
for the Chinese museum and history learning
centre.
 With the development of bronze technology
and workmanship, more and more bronze
were produced for many tools. They were
including the drinking cups and the pots,
agriculture tools and transportation tools in the
horse cart and so on.
 
The production of bronze in Shang dynasty
showed that China's is a great country that has
a great civilization in ancient times. The
civilization of China has done a great
contribution to the world civilization.
 Three Great Inventions
( 1271 - 1279 )

The four Great Inventions of the ancient

China has played an important role in the
development of ancient China's economic,
politics and culture. They also did a great
contribution to the world civilization in many
aspects. Three of them were appeared in
Song dynasty.
Invention of Printing
 Printing come into use in Sui dynasty and was developed and
improved by Bisheng of Song Dynasty. Bisheng used the
character mode to print a Chinese Character, which is called "live
character printing". One Character has a model and the mode
can be used for many times until it’s broken. This method saved a
lot of time and energy in carving the words on the wood for every
character mode can be reused.
 
The Character mode was made by sticky earth and then dried in
a firing cave. The character mode can be reused in the next
printing. Thus quicken the printing speed and save a lot of time.
 
The technique of printing was spread to Europe by Mongolian in
the later years after its appearance. The invention had a great
impact in the education and culture of the whole world.
 Invention of Compass
In the south in several of the
Ten States the same
continuity was evident and
the examination system
continued. When Zhao
Kuangyin seized power by a
coup in Chenqiaoyi in 960
he was able to consolidate
and extend his control in a
restrained and methodical
manner.
 Invention of Explosives
For a little under three
and a quarter centuries,
China enjoyed a period
of economic growth
coupled with great
artistic and intellectual
achievement. China is
known for its explosives
materials.
 
Qin Dynasty ( 207BC – 221BC )
In 221 B.C., Chinese were unified for the first time
to construct a great country that ended the long era
of disunity and warring. In that year the western
frontier state of Qin, the most aggressive of the
Warring States, subjugated the last of its rival state.

Centralization and autarchy were achieved by

ruthless methods and focused on standardizing
legal codes, bureaucratic procedures, the forms of
writing and coinage, and the pattern of thought and
scholarship.
 To silence criticism of imperial rule, the kings banished
or put to death many dissenting Confucian scholars and
confiscated and burned their books. Qin expansionism
was aided by frequent military expeditions pushing
forward the frontiers in the north and south.
 
In order to fend off barbarian intrusion, the fortification
walls built by the various warring states were connected
to make a 5,000-kilometer-long great wall. What is
commonly referred to as the Great Wall is actually four
great walls rebuilt or extended during the Western Han,
Sui, Jin, and Ming periods, rather than a single,
continuous wall. At its extremities, the Great Wall
reaches from northeastern Heilongjiang Province to
northwestern Gansu.
 A number of public works projects were also
undertaken to consolidate and strengthen
imperial rule. These activities required
enormous levies of manpower and resources,
not to mention repressive measures.
 
Revolts broke out as soon as the first Qin
emperor died in 210 B.C. His dynasty was
extinguished less than twenty years after its
triumph. The imperial system initiated during
the Qin dynasty, however, set a pattern that
was developed over the next two millennia.
The Importation of Buddhism to China
( 206 BC - 220 AD )
 It is reported that Buddhism was introduced to China was in
the later years of Han dynasty.
 
Buddha was worshiped by some royalty and some of the
nobles. At this time, Buddhism was connected with
supernatural being and the doctrine of Buddhism was meant
to keep the mind and soul clear and quiet. The image of
Buddha and the image of Lao Zi were worshiped in the same
place. Buddhism did not spread to the common people until
the the age of disunity. It was this period that lead to the
great development of Buddhism.

The importation of Buddhism has had great influence on the

culture of China. From its importation in the early history,
Buddhism has developed and passed from generation to
generation. It has a deep connection in China’s history.
 In following dynasties, Buddhism has been used
as a spiritual administrative tool to control
thought and behavior. Many Chinese opera and
stories were written about it and connecting with
it. It is rooted deeply in every Chinese’s thought.
 
But Chinese people did not choose it as their
religion and most of Chinese don’t believe in the
Buddhism doctrine. But the Buddhism thought
has given Chinese people a new connotation
and it was connected to clear and quiet that
many Chinese people wished the life-style.
HONG KONG
According to archaeological studies initiated in the
1920s, human activity on Hong Kong dates back
over five millennia. Excavated neolithic artifacts
suggest an influence from northern Chinese
stone-age cultures. The territory was settled by
Han Chinese during the seventh century, A.D.,
evidenced by the discovery of an ancient tomb at
Lei Cheung Uk in Kowloon. The first major
migration from northern China to Hong Kong
occurred during the Sung Dynasty (960-1279).
The British East India Company made the first
successful sea venture to China in 1699, and
Hong Kong's trade with British merchants
developed rapidly soon after.
After the Chinese defeat in the First Opium
War (1839-42), Hong Kong was ceded to
Britain in 1842 under the Treaty of Nanking.
Britain was granted a perpetual lease on the
Kowloon Peninsula under the 1860 Convention
of Beijing, which formally ended hostilities in
the Second Opium War (1856-58). The United
Kingdom, concerned that Hong Kong could not
be defended unless surrounding areas also
were under British control, executed a 99-year
lease of the New Territories in 1898,
significantly expanding the size of the Hong
Kong colony. 
In the late 19th century and early 20th
centuries, Hong Kong developed as a
warehousing and distribution center for U.K.
trade with southern China. After the end of
World War II and the communist takeover of
Mainland China in 1949, hundreds of thousands
of people fled from China to Hong Kong. Hong
Kong became an economic success and a
manufacturing, commercial, finance, and
tourism center. High life expectancy, literacy, per
capita income, and other socioeconomic
measures attest to Hong Kong's achievements
over the last five decades. 
On July 1, 1997, China resumed the exercise of
sovereignty over Hong Kong, ending more than
150 years of British colonial rule. Hong Kong is a
Special Administrative Region of the People's
Republic of China with a high degree of
autonomy in all matters except foreign and
defense affairs. According to the Sino-British
Joint Declaration (1984) and the Basic Law for
50 years after reversion Hong Kong will retain its
political, economic, and judicial systems and
unique way of life and will continue to participate
in international agreements and organizations
under the name, "Hong Kong, China." 
The 2000 elections were seen as free, open, and
widely contested, although there was criticism that
the functional constituency and election committee
elections were undemocratic because so few voters
were eligible to vote. In July 2002, the Hong Kong
Government implemented the Principal Officials
Accountability System, which was designed to make
the government more responsive to public concerns,
and added a layer of 11 political appointees, directly
responsible to the Chief Executive, to run the 11
policy bureaus. Three other senior civil service
positions--the Chief Secretary, Financial Secretary,
and Justice Secretary--also were converted to
political appointments, although without a change in
personnel. 
JAPAN
 Japan likely was settled about 35,000 years ago
by Paleolithic people from the Asian mainland. At
the end of the last Ice Age, about 10,000 years
ago, a culture called the Jomon developed.
Jomon hunter-gatherers fashioned fur clothing,
wooden houses, and elaborate clay vessels.
According to DNA analysis, the Ainu people may
be descendents of the Jomon.
 
A second wave of settlement around 400 B.C. by
the Yayoi people introduced metal-working, rice
cultivation, and weaving to Japan. DNA evidence
suggests that these settlers came from Korea.
 The first era of recorded history in Japan is the
Kofun (250-538 A.D.), characterized by large burial
mounds or tumuli. The Kofun were headed by a
class of aristocratic warlords; they adopted many
Chinese customs and innovations.
 
Buddhism came to Japan during the Asuka Period,
538-710, as did the Chinese writing system. Society
was divided into clans, ruled from Yamato Province.
 
The first strong central government developed in
Nara (710-794); the aristocratic class practiced
Buddhism and Chinese calligraphy, while
agricultural villagers followed Shintoism.
 Japan's unique culture developed rapidly in the
Heian era, 794-1185. The imperial court turned
out enduring art, poetry and prose. The samurai
warrior class developed at this time, as well.
 
Samurai lords, called "shoguns," took over
governmental power in 1185, and ruled Japan in
the name of the emperor until 1868. The
Kamakura Shogunate (1185-1333) ruled much
of Japan from Kyoto. Aided by two miraculous
typhoons, the Kamakura repelled attacks by
Mongol armadas in 1274 and 1281.
 A particularly strong emperor, Go-Daigo, tried to
overthrew shogunate rule in 1331, resulting in a
civil war between competing northern and
southern courts that finally ended in 1392.
During this time, a class of strong regional lords
called "daimyo" increased in power; their control
lasted through the end of the Edo period, also
known as the Tokugawa Shogunate, in 1868.
 
In that year, a new constitutional monarchy was
established, headed by the Meiji Emperor. The
power of the shoguns was broken.
 After the Meiji Emperor's death, his son
became the Taisho Emperor (r. 1912-1926).
His chronic illnesses allowed the Diet of
Japan to democratize the country further.
Japan formalized its rule over Korea and
seized northern China during World War I.
 
The Showa Emperor, Hirohito, (r. 1926-
1989) oversaw Japan's aggresive expansion
during World War II, its surrender, and its
rebirth as a modern, industrialized nation.
 Language
The vast majority of Japan's citizens (99%)
speak Japanese as their primary language.
 
Japanese is in the Japonic language family,
and seems to be unrelated to Chinese and
Korean. However, Japanese has borrowed
heavily from Chinese, English, and other
languages. In fact, 49% of Japanese words
are loan-words from Chinese, and 9% come
from English.
 Religion
95% of Japanese citizens adhere to a syncretic blend
of Shintoism and Buddhism. There are minorities of
under 1% of Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs.
 
Shinto is the native religion of Japan, which
developed in prehistoric times. It is a polytheistic faith,
emphasizing the divinity of the natural world.
Shintoism does not have a holy book or founder.
 
In Japan, Shinto and Buddhist practices are combined
into a single religion, with Buddhist temples being built
at the sites of important Shinto shrines.
MONGOLIA
 In 1203 AD, a single Mongolian state was formed
based on nomadic tribal groupings under the
leadership of Genghis Khan. He and his immediate
successors conquered nearly all of Asia and European
Russia and sent armies as far as Central Europe and
Southeast Asia. Genghis Khan's grandson Kublai
Khan, who conquered China and established the Yuan
dynasty (1279-1368 AD), gained fame in Europe
through the writings of Marco Polo.
 
Although Mongol-led confederations sometimes
exercised wide political power over their conquered
territories, their strength declined rapidly after the
Mongol dynasty in China was overthrown in 1368.
 Shortly before the fall of the Qing dynasty in
1912, the province of Outer Mongolia declares
independence from China. The Russians,
hoping to ensure that Mongolia is a buffer state
between themselves and China, support this
claim and supply the Mongolian princes with
large numbers of rifles and sabres. By the end of
the year a treaty has been signed which in effect
turns Mongolia into a Russian protectorate.
 
It is merely the first in a series of alternating
shot-gun marriages for the unfortunate
Mongolians.
 In 1919 a Chinese army arrives, insisting that
Mongolia sever all relations with the new Communist
regime in Russia. In 1920 a Russian army reverses
this situation. In 1924 the Russians and the Chinese
make their own treaty above the heads of the
Mongolians. The Mongolian People's Republic is to
be technically independent, but the Russians now
accept that it is for all practical purposes a part of
China.
 
This is altered yet again, in the next decade, by the
Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931 and of China
in 1937. Mongolia now desperately needs a defensive
alliance with Russia. It remains firmly part of the
Soviet camp until the end of World War II.
 In October 1945 the people of Mongolia vote
overwhelmingly for independence, and over the next
few years a genuine statehood is slowly achieved. The
traditional Russian alliance prevails when relations
turn sour between the Soviet Union and Communist
China. Mongolia is admitted to the United Nations in
1961.
 
For more than six decades, from 1924, the Mongolian
People's Revolutionary Party (MLRP) enjoys a
guaranteed monopoly of power. But in the late 1980s
the reforming mood in Moscow is echoed in Mongolia.
The first multiparty elections are held in 1990. A new
single-chamber parliament is introduced in 1992. The
MLRP wins 71 of the 76 seats.
TAIWAN
Taiwan (excluding Penghu) was first populated
by Negrito, and then Austronesian people. It was
colonized by the Dutch in the 17th century,
followed by an influx of Han Chinese including
Hakka immigrants from areas of Fujian and
Guangdong of mainland China, across the
Taiwan Strait. The Spanish also built a
settlement in the north for a brief period, but
were driven out by the Dutch in 1642. The
Chinese name of the island is "Taiwan"
("Taiwan", derived from an aborigine term), and
in the past (from the 16th century) has been
called Formosa (from Portuguese Ilha Formosa,
" Beautiful Island") by the west.
In 1662, Koxinga (Zheng Cheng-gong), a loyalist of
the Ming Dynasty, which had lost control of mainland
China in 1644, defeated the Dutch and established a
base of operations on the island. Zheng's forces
were later defeated by the Qing Dynasty in 1683.
From then, parts of Taiwan became increasingly
integrated into the Qing Dynasty before it ceded the
island along with Penghu to the Empire of Japan in
1895 following the First Sino-Japanese War. Taiwan
produced rice and sugar to be exported to Empire of
Japan and also served as a base for the Japanese
colonial expansion into Southeast Asia and the
Pacific during World War II. Japanese imperial
education was implemented in Taiwan and many
Taiwanese also fought for Japan during the war.
 In 1945, following the end of World War II,
the Republic of China (ROC) led by the
Kuomintang (KMT) became the governing
polity on Taiwan. In 1949, after losing control
of mainland China following the Chinese civil
war, the ROC government under the KMT
withdrew to Taiwan and Chiang Kai-shek
declared martial law. Japan formally
renounced all territorial rights to Taiwan in
1952 in the San Francisco Peace Treaty.
The KMT ruled Taiwan as a single-party state
for forty years, until democratic reforms were
mandated during the final year of authoritarian
rule under Chiang Ching-kuo. The reforms
were promulgated under Chiang's successor,
Lee Teng-hui, which culminated in the first ever
direct presidential election in 1996. In 2000,
Chen Shui-bian was elected the president,
becoming the first non-KMT president on
Taiwan. The 2008 election of President Ma
Ying-jeou marked the second peaceful transfer
of power, this time back to the KMT.
NORTH KOREA
SOUTH KOREA
 END
THANK YOU!